


Waterlogged

by pureheartcitizen (thirdeyeopen)



Category: Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Mild Hurt/Comfort, what are tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-24 09:08:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20703470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thirdeyeopen/pseuds/pureheartcitizen
Summary: Mao has always hated water. Now he's trapped in a room filling up with it.





	Waterlogged

It had to be a nightmare.

Between the extreme claustrophobia and the feeling of water splashing over his feet, it _ had _to be. 

There was no way this was actually real. 

Mao was stuck in a tiny room, surrounded by almost-impossibly-stacked boulders, trapped in a place slowly filling with water. 

And he had tried to get out. He had tried to get more room, he had hit and pounded on the rocks more times than he could count.

It was hopeless. 

The only hope left was with whoever was still outside.

"Mao Mao!" 

Adorabat's voice on the other side was muffled, smothered by rocks and almost drowned out by the rushing water. Was she alone out there? Had Badgerclops ran back to the Kingdom to find more help? 

Was _he _alone? 

No. He wasn't. The sound of a body slamming against the boulders proved that; Mao's rocky prison rumbled and shook, but didn't cave. 

"Badgerclops, you have a laser weapon!" Adorabat cried at the struggling badger, desperation flooding her voice. "Use it!" 

"I can't!" Badgerclops shouted back. "If it cuts through the rocks it could kill him!" 

The water was rising past Mao's ankles now, tiny droplets splashing up to lick at his fur. It was as if the water was taunting him, flowing in such a slow way, in a way that definitely should entail help reaching him in time. But help couldn't reach him. 

He was going to drown. 

Outside the rocky prison, Adorabat's mind was a mess with thoughts. She wanted to help. She wanted to be a hero. And she couldn't just do nothing. 

But Badgerclops was way bigger and stronger than her, and even _he _wasn't making any progress. 

Adorabat flew up and over the rocks, until she was staring at the top of them. They seemed almost meticulously placed, as if they were a trap to begin with. She could map out the path Mao had taken, almost see the ruins through the boulders. Somehow, somewhere, he had gotten turned around. Then the rocks came down. And now he was stuck. 

And there was nothing there to help her. No openings in the ceiling, nothing to reach through, nothing to squeeze through. 

There was just a tiny crack, so small she didn't catch it until she landed on the ceiling. 

Adorabat could see the gleam of the water under what sunlight bled through the roof. It was flowing fast, the splashing noises reaching her finely-tuned ears.

She caught the glimpse of black fur soon after. 

"Mao Mao!" 

He lifted his head, green eyes blinking through the sunlight. 

"Adorabat!" He yelled back. He couldn't see her, but he definitely noticed the crack in the ceiling now. She was smart. There _ had _ to be something she could do with that. 

But seeing (or hearing) her so scared was breaking his heart. Whether he could be freed or not, he had to tone down his fear. 

"It's gonna be okay, Adorabat!" He called up to her. "Heroes always find a way out!" 

In many other circumstances that probably would have worked. But not now. 

If his heart was holding itself together, there was no hope left. Not after he heard Adorabat sniffle, heard her tearful, frightened voice bleeding in through the roof. 

"You can get out." She whimpered, pressing her face close to the tiny gap in the rocks. "I know you can. Just try!" 

He _ had _been. He'd tried everything he could think of. 

But he was going to try again. 

The water was swarming over his waist now. Time was running out. 

He _ had _ to _ try. _

Taking a deep breath to brace himself, Mao slammed his shoulder against the rocks, grunting at the hot flash of pain it sent through him. Gritting his teeth, he tried again and again. No result. The rocks were packed too tightly together, as if they were glued. 

_ Nothing _was going to move them. 

He looked back up at the ceiling, wondering if Adorabat could see the look of defeat in his eyes. 

Speaking what was on his mind would break her heart. Confirm her worst fears.

But he had taken care of her for this long, for _ so _long. 

He had to tell her. 

"Adorabat," he called up, "you still there?"

Another sniffle in response. Then a broken voice. 

"I-I'm here…" 

"I need you to promise something for me." Mao said. The water was steadily coming up to his stomach, but he was forcing himself not to think about it. 

"I need you to promise that you'll always do good." He continued. "That you'll help people, even when they don't want you to. And… I need you to promise that you'll take care of Badgerclops." 

Mao could hear it clearly; Adorabat was crying. Her whimpers and sniffs bled through the roof, swarming the empty spots of his prison. Surrounding him. 

He expected her to fight the implication. Fight the realization that Mao was telling her this as a man about to die. As a man that _ knew _he was about to die. 

But she didn't. 

"I promise, Mao Mao…" She whimpered, wiping her cheek with a wing. "I-I promise I'll do good. And-And help Badgerclops." 

Tears were burning his eyes as well, making them gleam. But he smiled up at her, as if nothing was wrong. It was a proud smile. A sad smile. 

"That's my little deputy." He said softly. Breaking his gaze from her, he turned his body in the water, looking at the rocks he had just thrown himself against moments earlier. "Badgerclops?" 

Outside the rock wall, Badgerclops had been listening in. His eyes were quickly filling with tears as well, and his voice was choked as he replied. 

"I'm here." 

He pressed his face closer to the rocks, almost afraid that his best friend’s last words would be drowned out, and that he would miss them. 

“Good.” Mao said after a pause. “The same goes for you. Take care of each other. And stay away from stairs, dude.”

It was a sad moment. It was a tragedy. But Badgerclops couldn’t fight back a smile at that last part. Being minutes away from death, stuck in a hopeless situation yet still trying to be funny, it was just so… Mao Mao. 

“I will.” He replied, his voice breaking with emotion. He pressed his forehead against the rocks and closed his eyes, the tears finally spilling over the brim and rushing down his cheeks. “I will.”

Up to his neck now. Mao’s bottom lip trembled as he stared down at the water; he could just barely see the reds of his knee guards below the surface. In the silence that followed, he began to think about his life.

He had been through a lot. He’d fought hard to impress his Dad. He’d lost his tail, he’d ran away from home, and he’d been attacked by a man who would go on to become his friend. He’d destroyed the one security of a town of defenseless Sweetie-Pies, and decided to become their hero. He’d gone on amazing adventures. He’d fought a ton of monsters. He’d pretty much adopted Adorabat, and made a home in Pure Heart. He’d gotten a new family, and he’d had the amazing chance to be for Adorabat what his own Dad never was. 

It was a good life. 

The water was up to his chin by now. He was busy thinking about whether or not he knew of a way to make the drowning hurt less, when suddenly a yell cut through his prison, reaching his drooped ears. 

“MAO MAO! GET CLEAR!”  
Badgerclops. 

And the sound of something powering up. 

The realization startled him. He flailed in the water, scrambling as fast as he could to the sides of the rocky prison, gloved claws digging into the boulders, clinging. Scared eyes looked behind him.

No.

There was no way this was going to work. No way. 

Badgerclops wasn’t _ really _about to-

A gallant, bright blue light burst through the rocks, right where Mao was just standing. The rocks exploded in its wake, crumbling into bits and toppling. The water that was once up to Mao’s chin began to drain, spilling out the side of the prison. 

The force of the water was so strong that it dragged Mao out with it; wrapped up in the chaos, he slammed into Badgerclops, and toppled him over. The water continued carrying Mao until he found himself sliding to a stop on a patch of grass.

The black cat raised his head slowly, his eyes full of shock and repressed terror as he blinked at Badgerclops, who was also staring at him with the same amount of surprise.

And then they were both laughing, and they were both getting up, Mao’s sopping wet fur dripping water everywhere as he stumbled towards his friend, both of them laughing almost maniacally all the way. 

“Duuuuuude!” Mao shouted in an incredulous tone, his laughs making the word choppy. He practically leapt at Badgerclops, slamming against his friend.

Strong arms closed in around Mao, and he was pressed against Badgerclops’s chest. As per the evident height difference, the black cat’s feet couldn’t touch the ground. He was suspended in the air solely by a hug. 

“I can’t believe you _ did _that!” Mao yelled, still laughing. “That was crazy!” 

Something hit Badgerclops; Mao opened his eyes to see Adorabat clinging to his shoulder, her eyes shining incredulously down at the black cat, tears still flowing freely.

“Mao Mao!” She yelled happily, crawling off Badgerclops’s shoulder and leaping onto Mao’s. She hugged his head tightly, partly shielding his view with her wings. “You’re okay!” 

Keeping an eye open, Mao laughed. Two people hugging him. Oh boy. “Of course I am. I told you, Adorabat. Heroes _ always _find a way out.” 

The bat sniffed, nuzzling close to him with a small smile. “Mao Mao…” She whimpered, clutching at him. “I love you, Mao Mao…” 

“I love you too, Adorabat.” He replied.

Badgerclops bent over slightly, and Mao’s paws slowly found solid ground again. It was only then that Badgerclops let him go, but Adorabat stayed clinging.

“You need to be blow-dried, dude.” Badgerclops commented, smoothing out some of the now-wet fur on his arms and chest. 

Mao just chuckled, reaching up and patting Adorabat’s head. “Ready to get home, Adorabat?”  
Her cheek rubbed against his as she nodded, a small smile coming across her face. The tears were already stopping. She was happy, and it was the greatest thing. 

They were walking away from the rocks when Mao realized something was missing. “Wait!” He cried, although he was leading. He turned back around and ran to the rocks, Adorabat lifting off his shoulder and into flight, hovering in place, watching him rush off in stunned silence. Badgerclops had turned around too, watching the cat with a curious eye.

Mao stepped one foot back into his prison, looking around inside. Then, he disappeared back in.

It took a minute, but soon he reappeared, holding a medium-sized chunk of rock in his hand with a broad smile as he jogged back to the group. 

"Souvenir." He clarified to no-one, tossing the rock chunk up in the air and catching it with one hand. 

"Dude." Badgerclops started, staring the black cat down with a "what the hell" expression. 

"Awesome!" Adorabat chimed in with sparkling eyes, staring at the rock as if it was the coolest thing in the world. 

Deciding not to protest further, Badgerclops simply turned around and continued walking. Adorabat and Mao followed, the two soon falling back into their original places - Mao leading, and Adorabat chilling out on his shoulder. 

"Where are you even gonna put that?

"I"ll find a place."

"Right."


End file.
